美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。 : z' u! i% U4 z) x' R3 j' ~ 1 ~+ `3 t, H) f8 u9 DCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US + O3 c e$ C# p7 a% T. g/ uUS authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports.% ]; t% ]. t8 }
* X u' v# }5 f7 }; O8 T% W. gThe ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami. 6 i) f0 s+ i" w$ Y3 j) g0 G) C2 Y v
Reid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight. : ~8 B: D* l/ M5 [' M9 H( L& s( ^7 `4 x$ z+ Z0 q, ^' O
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. 2 k$ e8 `4 |) Z, m. M" m' ~: a$ e5 C$ Z* f
US Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.8 x' d) |( v, X- r/ E
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. 4 [& d, |+ i7 l1 \! \ - F. H8 N( M# b4 X+ J: {* R2 ^"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.1 n1 S# P. h5 c. W
1 V) R" b( Q' l6 K4 g% n7 C"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."8 Y b, X& _( b- m5 }+ ?
+ T$ d8 X2 P4 PThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.- J5 o. f% p4 @$ \2 |
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The New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.
